Rashtriya Sahara, in an editorial entitled, ‘Politics over Nobel Peace Prize’ (October 12), writes: “The prize to Obama has raised eyebrows of the Republican Party, perhaps because it is indirectly being seen as the debunking of the aggressive policies of George Bush that brought a bad name to America... The fundamental difference between Bush and Obama appears to be that Obama is successful in convincing the world that he and his country now want to work for peace. Bush worked for an artificial peace based on use of force during his long stint in power whereas the path of logical persuasion (ifhaam-o-tafheem) chosen by Obama takes us to actual peace.”

Kolkata and Delhi-based daily Akhbar-e-Mashriq, in its editorial (October 11), says that Obama’s prize is “not a bed of roses, it is a crown of thorns”. It writes: “In the last nine months, Obama has been unable to perform any miracle. But it has to be accepted that he has definitely set a target and has moved forward to attain it.” The paper quotes, in the context of challenges before Obama, a very famous line from poet Jigar Moradabadi about love: “Ek aag ka dariya hae, aur doob ke jaana hai” (have to drown and sail though a river of fire).

On the contrary, Hyderabad-based Rahnuma-e-Daccan (October 13) writes: “Barack Obama does not deserve this prize on any criterion.” The paper says that Obama’s stature would have grown if he had declined to accept the prize. It has also commented on the failure of the Nobel committee to give the prize to such stalwarts in the movement for peace as Gandhi and Nehru.

... contd.